Emerald Teardrops
by SuperYuuki
Summary: Orihime dies from an accidental fall, and to save her from becoming a hollow, Aizen turns her into an Arrancar. An unexpected turn of events results in a hostile meeting with Ichigo and friends. In their eyes, she really is a traitor now.  Ulquihime.
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: By this time, Ichigo and friends failed their attempt at rescuing Orihime with minimal casualties. This is what happens afterwards. UlquiorraxOrihime.**

**Also . . . I got some suggestions saying I draw out chapter one into multiple chapters, but you DO realize this was a prologue? I really didn't want to put much into this. It will be more descriptive in later chapters. **

**I also cleared up a bit of confusion regarding Aizen's actions towards Ulquiorra.**

**Yes, this is edited. It will likely be edited more in the future.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

…

Orihime was resting, sprawled out along the couch that served as her bed. She lay with her arm thrown over her face, but she was not crying, rather, she was only trying to fall into restful sleep. She knew sleep would be the only respite she'd get from her despair.

The various spiritual pressures that belonged to her friends were gone.

When Ulquiorra had delivered the news of her friends retreat, she hadn't believed him. But then why would their spiritual pressures have disappeared? If her friends had been killed, then Ulquiorra surely would have told her so, not given her a lie.

Left with no other probable option, Orihime had decided that Ulquiorra had been telling the truth.

"Woman," said a well-known, inflectionless voice. He looked from her to her untouched plate of food. "You have not eaten. Do we really have to go through this again?"

Orihime let her arm fall off her face and glanced over at the plate of food. Believe it or not, she had been planning to eat it. She must have actually fallen asleep without realizing.

With much effort, she sat up, stretching her legs out. With a glance at Ulquiorra, she reached for the fork and scooped an amount of rice into her mouth. The food had grown quite cold, and the rice was all dried out.

Ulquiorra watched silently as Orihime hastily finished the rest of her food and lay back down on the couch.

"I did not come here to check on if you'd finished your food, woman," He said flatly. "It's time for a walk."

…

"Can we take a different route this time?" Orihime asked.

Ulquiorra hesitated before answering, "What exactly do you have in mind?"

"Well . . . I've never really seen what it looks like outside. The window in my room doesn't really show enough for me to completely understand what it's like out there," she replied.

Ulquiorra stopped walking. "Be aware that I am under strict orders to keep you inside Las Noches," he pauses when a realization dawns on him. He could take her to the roof, she'd gain plenty of exercise climbing the stairs and she technically wouldn't be outside the building. He glanced at the girl, and decided that it wouldn't hurt to show her the roof.

…

Orihime stood rather too close to the edge for Ulquiorra's comfort, but he let it go. The girl certainly wouldn't jump, and he had enough faith in her own sense that she wouldn't trip and fall.

She gazed out over the almost totally empty landscape, she had to admit, the moon looked prettier. No mater which way she turned, she was greeted by the same terrain, the only difference was that when she looked in one direction, she could see the moon, while in another she could not.

She turned to Ulquiorra, about to thank him for bringing her up here, when something grabbed a hold of her from behind and jerked her backward.

She gasped as she realized she was falling.

…

Ulquiorra had absolutely no time to react as the stray hollow pulled Inoue off the roof. The thing had no real interest in her; instead, it focused its attack on him. He made short work of it; taking mere moments to kill the thing, even those mere moments were too long.

He jumped down from the roof. It may have been a short distance to an Arrancar, but for a human, without a doubt, a fall like that would be fatal.

He almost died of relief when he saw her kneeling, facing away from him. But something was wrong with how she was sitting. Her posture seemed different to him, for she usually sat tall, but now she was slumped over, which to him seemed as if she were giving up.

Without turning, she pointed to the right. He looked to the spot she indicated, and was surprised to see another Orihime, face down, sprawled out on the ground, her head resting in a small pool of blood. She was near a broken tree, and her hair had been sliced off in a diagonal way, leaving one side of her hair long, and the other fairly short.

The realization hit him like a bucket of cold water. She was dead. He turned back to her, and for the first time noticed the chain attached to her chest, severed from her body. For the first time in his existence, Ulquiorra felt insanely, painfully sad.

…

Orihime's spirit remained silent as Ulquiorra picked her up in his arms and hastily carried her back inside Las Noches.

She was struggling with her own problems, for she could feel her spirit being corrupted by the landscape. She was no longer protected by her human body, she was vulnerable to whatever Hueco Mundo would throw at her, and now she stifling screams from the pain of her rapidly decomposing Chain of Fate.

She barely paid attention as Ulquiorra walked in on Aizen-sama, Gin, and Tousen having a conversation. She could only focus on not crying.

…

He had failed, that was true. He deserved any punishment Aizen-sama saw fit. Even death. Death would be welcome, because then he wouldn't have to leave Orihime. He startled himself slightly at that thought, but there was no real reason to lie to himself any longer. He admitted it, he loved the woman, and at least he wouldn't die lying to himself.

Aizen frowned as he noticed the severed chain attached just above Orihime's chest.

Ulquiorra hastily set Orihime down and proceeded towards Aizen.

He knew his penalty for this utter failure would be death.

…

She barely noticed when Aizen nodded to Grimmjow and Nnoitra; she was too busy panicking because the chain had gotten so short. It was almost gone.

But when they approached Ulquiorra, grinning maliciously, swords drawn, the chain finally reached her chest, bringing about the most terrible, torturous pain she'd ever felt, it was impossible to hold in her cries any longer.

…

Ulquiorra's eyes widened as he heard her scream, it was a genuine scream, and Orihime was terrified. Even Grimmjow and Nnoitra stopped and looked at her.

Her scream was suddenly cut of by an odd gagging noise. She hunched over, her skin moving beneath her clothes. Ulquiorra watched in absolute terror, an emotion that only vaguely showed upon his face, as her hands grew talons and a white and green mask grew over horrified face.

She was becoming a hollow.

Aizen make a sound not unlike a chuckle. "How convenient," he murmured. He stood up, walked over to where he kept the Hogyoku, and simply waited as Orihime under went the last stages of her transformation.

…

When she finally completed her grotesque transformation, she stood maybe three feet taller than Ulquiorra, not very big by hollow standards, and immediately jumped at Ulquiorra.

She did not eat him, nor did she crush him, instead, she landed between him and Grimmjow and Nnoitra, letting out a fierce growl. The pair looked to Aizen for further instruction.

He merely shook his head before waving his hand over the Hogyoku, letting out sparks of pure energy that proceeded to envelop the hollow that was Orihime.

As the energy faded, it revealed Orihime, appearing as her dead body did, except for a few minor changes. There was a pair of white-ish barrettes on the right side of her hair, which were actually what was left of her mask. The tips of her hair were a color that Ulquiorra knew to be the color of his own eyes. The sword at her side was an addition as well, the hilt easily recognizable as the shape of her flower hairpins.

Orihime was an Arrancar, now. One of them.

…

**Ugh. Was that lame? It's just that I'd read other Orihime as an Arrancar stories but none of them actually told how she became an Arrancar, exactly.**

**This is gonna continue, you can count on that.**

**Review if you wanna . . . I'd appreciate it. I take criticism well so be truthful.**ogyoku


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I got **_**reviews! **_** Good ones too! Yay!**

** (The author pauses to compose her)**

** I revised the first chapter so the pages were divided, sorry to the first few who read it and probably got a bit confused.**

**(BTW, the title and genre will make more sense as I get into this more.)**

**I really wish I could show you guys a picture of Orihime as an Arrancar, but I have no idea how to go about doing that. -.-**

**And someone asked why they were already in love . . . **_**They**_** aren't, **_**he **_**is. Get it now? Ulquiorra's little crush is (currently) unrequited. **

**Ooo! And I think multiple people said it seemed rushed . . . I agree. I wrote it in, like, and hour.**

**Also!**

** Chapter 1 was a bit of a prologue. Now I'm going to Orihime's POV and sticking with it. I'll very rarely jump to Ulquiorra's POV. (Because there is no way I'd be able to capture his thought process. At all.)**

** I have barely any ideas for after chapter three . . . in other words I have no freaking idea where I'm going with this. HELP!**

*** (Yokohaku) Night-Amber**

**** (Kogasu) Scorch**

**. . . **

Being an Arrancar, Orihime discovered weeks later, didn't change much. She still had the same room, but the bars were removed from the window, and she now had a bed.

Being one of them, she found, did not change how they thought of her. Maybe some of the lower ranks' fractions thought of her with an iota more of respect, but she still got that look from Nnoitra.

When Ulquiorra let her be in his fraction, Orihime was overjoyed, she wouldn't be an outcast, nor would she be put under command of some Espada she didn't know.

Now, though, Orihime sort of _was_ his fraction. She was the only one.

He'd still visit her . . . for various reasons. Sometimes for sword practice, sometimes to emotionlessly ask some random question which, out-of-context, seemed rather funny to Orihime. Sometimes he visited her for no reason at all. It was those visits she liked the most, for some odd reason.

She was also under the impression that Aizen had been planning to execute Ulquiorra for failing to protect her. What she didn't understand was why Ulquiorra was still alive then. Maybe he'd just forgotten about it because of her transformation, even though that was highly unlikely. Aizen reasoning was destined to be one of the world greatest mysteries.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Ulquiorra's entrance.

She turned and smiled, "Hello, Ulqui-sama," she chimed.

He didn't seem to mind the nickname, and if he did, he didn't show it, which sort of annoyed Orihime because she'd called him that to bug him. "Aizen-sama needs to see us," he said with no emotion.

Speak of the devil.

Orihime winced. That probably wasn't a good thing. "Why?" she asked.

"He did not say."

She sighed, grabbing her sword, Yokohaku*, she followed him to the main chamber.

…

"We're to do _what_?" Orihime exclaimed.

Aizen frowned. "I'm sure you heard me quite fine, Inoue-san," he said flatly.

Orihime absorbed what he said. At least she'd get to see how they were doing. She knew some of them had died in the attempt to save her, but she was unsure whom. She wanted to get that over with, at least. If it came to a confrontation, well, that was rather unlikely, so they'd cross that bridge when they got to it. An espionage mission . . . it was going to be risky.

"Sazayel has made you gigai that look nothing like your actual selves, mostly so Orihime won't get recognized by any humans she may have previously known," Aizen said, sounding sort of bored.

At that news, Orihime squirmed. A body that was nothing like her own? How . . . odd.

**Sorry this was so EXTREMELY short, but my mother's about to ground me from the computer and I didn't want to leave all you peoples hanging, So I'm giving you what I got. . **

** She might forget, though. Cross your fingers. If not I'll find time to type in school then I'll update when ungrounded. (The school has this internet restriction thing that totally wouldn't let me on fan-fiction. ;;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Yay! Okays. Ummmmmmmm . . . I suck at capturing Ulquiorra's personality, so please don't complain is he's a bit OOC. Orihime may be a bit OOC, too.**

** And a continuation of a question answered earlier: The reason I have Ulquiorra already in love with Orihime is because I felt like adding the whole falling in love thing would be a bit repetitive. There're hundreds of those. That why I advise my friends not to read mine first. If this is the first Ulquixhime you've read, then please read something else before finishing this. I'd recommend "The Lonely Moon," "Dreams of White," or "A Gilded Cell." Just to get you situated with the Ulquixhime relationship.**

**I'm going to try to add some humor, because any story that has no humor at all is boring. I'm also taking this chance to establish the relationship between the Arrancar.**

**And this is off hold . . . for now. You see, some of my friends have been pressuring me to put a lemon in this (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!) and I've told them no many times. Some of them really like this story and want to know what happens next, so as punishment, every time they suggest it I'm putting this on hold. Sorry you guys get affected by this.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

**. . . . . . . . . . **

"Actually, I haven't worked out all the kinks yet," Szayel Appro Granz, the 8th Espada said, "I have to figure out a way to get them to fit to your spirits, because they are quite a bit smaller than you. You see, yours is quite a bit shorter than you, and Orihime's has smaller brea-"

"So there will be a delay?" Ulquiorra interrupted.

The pink haired Arrancar shrugged. "I'd say a month tops; at least a week," he paused, "Any other questions?"

Ulquiorra shook his head and turned to walk away, a significantly shorter form following him close behind.

. . . . .. . .

He suddenly stopped at turned to face her, making Orihime jump a bit. "Why must you follow me so closely?" he asked.

She thought about the question, in truth, she had no real reason. She was following him closely because it was what she was used to doing. Involuntary. "Force of habit, I guess," She answered timidly.

He just stared.

"I'm so used to doing it that I do it with out thinking," she explained.

"I know what it means, woman." He turned around and continued walking.

"Why do you persist in calling me that?" she asked quietly.

He did not answer.

Orihime sighed. They reached the intersection that caused them to part, for their rooms were in different directions. She proceeded away from him, walking hastily towards her room. Always quickly, briskly, never slow, that was how she had to walk through Las Noches, for if she took her time, then who knows what vile things she might run into in these lawless halls? The many monsters that stalked Las Noches didn't divert their attention now that she was one of them, no, if anything they were more attentive.

She slowly pushed open her door, peeking in to make sure no one was lying in wait for her, ready to punish her things that they forced upon her in the first place.

To her relief, the coast was clear. She exhaled loudly, unaware that she had been holding her breath. She entered the room, closing the door gently behind her. Walking over to the bed, she heard a slight sound, something like an angry muttering. A thump came from the bathroom, startling her enough to make her draw her sword.

She moved towards the bathroom door cautious of what might be hiding within. She may have been helpless as a human, but as an Arrancar, at least she had a fighting chance. Vigilantly, she threw open the door, sword held erect. She could have sworn she saw the shower curtain move. She reached out and swiped it aside, revealing a slightly embarrassed-looking Wonderweiss.

Orihime lowered her sword. "Kid, get out of my room," she said exasperated. The kid had been sneaking into her room ever since she turned, causing quite the nuisance.

The blonde Arrancar nodded quickly before jumping up and glomping her. She stumbled a bit to support his weight, but smiled politely and stiffly hugged him back. "Okay, kid, out now."

He nodded again and ran out the door.

She was relieved that it hadn't been some one else.

. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . .

A voice interrupted her for once peaceful sleep, "Pet-sama," it whispered, "Pet-sama."

Orihime rolled over, avoiding the person. Who called her that, anyways? It was either Grimmjow or Nnoitra, two people she so was not in the mood for. When the person nudged her, she slapped at the hand, missing completely but communicating her point.

"Go away," she muttered.

The person laughed – now it had to be Grimmjow – and snatched the pillow out from underneath her, leaving her flailing. "You over slept. You're missing morning tea."

She looked up at the wild-looking Arrancar with tired eyes.

"Bah, don't give me that. Hurry or we'll both get in trouble," he said.

Orihime dragged herself out of bed and sauntered over to the bathroom. She pointed at the door to the hallway. "Leave, please," she instructed.

He left. She listened carefully to the fading sound of footsteps, waiting until he was gone until she entered the bathroom. She quickly changed into her uniform, brushed her long, diagonally sliced hair, and slid her sword into her belt.

She exited the room, ready to start another boring, uneventful 'day' at Las Noches.

. . . . . . . . . .

**I particularly liked this chapter, especially the part about the monsters.**

**At first I'd planed for it to be Grimmjow hiding behind her shower curtain, but than I realized it'd be too OOC, so I put Wonderweiss there. Then I had this feeling, if Grimmjow wasn't in this chapter it wouldn't feel right, so I had Grimmy wake her up. I think I might set this up for a little love-triangle, maybe a square, even. But, whatever I write, no matter how OOC it seems, please review truthfully. But don't be a hater. Haters are hated by those they hate on. (Ooo, convoluted sentence!)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** _Yes!_ Your eyes do not deceive you! Chapter four of Emerald Teardrops is here! I had a sudden burst of inspiration after I got out of the shower because I was thinking of Nel and how she should really re-appear in the series soon after all this Tsukishima Full-Bring crap, then I was thinking about how Tsukishima has the same facial structure as Aizen, then I was thinking about Las Noches, then I was thinking about the Menos Forest, and then I was thinking about… _this_…! But… I still need an ice cream sandwich to get the brain juice flowing… XD

And I apologize, but just because I've updated this once does not mean I will update continually from now on. As I go back and read what I've got so far on this, I realize that the first three chapters were a huge catharsis of creativity on my part. I've not written that well in the entire year I've been on this site, except maybe for some of the latest chapters for Creatures of Myth. ;)

As I get when I realize a fic that I loved and hasn't been updated in forever has been update, I promise, this chapter is worth getting a little over-excited for (at least, in my opinion).

**Disclaimer:** SuperYuuki does not own Bleach. Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo, Shonen Jump, Viz Media, and Dentsu Perriot. ;)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Orihime stood dutifully to the right of Ulquiorra's seat at the table, which, gratefully, placed her next to Starrk as well. It had been rather a close call, actually, if Ulquiorra's seat had been one more place over, she'd be standing next that creep Nnoitra.

Fraccion weren't allowed to sit at the Espada table, but since Orihime was required to attend in order to 'keep her engaged in Las Noches activities,' she simply did what other fraccion would do on the rare occasion that one was forced to show up at a meeting. They would stand, still as a statue next to their Espada unless spoken to, and even then they would be expected to address whoever was speaking to them formally and with the utmost respect. For most Fraccion, staying quiet held quite the challenge, let alone staying still. That was why Grimmjow's fraccion were never invited to these meetings, because, like their leader, they were noisy, fidgety, and rude. Orihime, on the other hand, was on the other side of the spectrum along with Tesla. Many people – namely, Grimmjow, Nnoitra, Szayel, and Starrk – were surprised that the normally energetic girl could stand so still. It was almost uncanny, how both the Espada and his fraccion could remain motionless and silent for the longest amounts of time. Although, for Ulquiorra, such attitude came naturally, while Orihime had spent the longest time observing his posture and manner in order to mimic it, even managing to droop her eyelids slightly in a bored expression. When she walked in, some of them expected to see that green tear lines had suddenly appeared overnight. Fortunately, Orihime was only like this at meetings. Elsewhere, she was her usual somewhat peppy self. And it wasn't like she was eliminating her odd, childish thoughts when she did that, she was simply not speaking them nor showing them. It was almost like a game to her, to stay completely still longer than Ulquiorra. More than once had another fraccion or even an Espada thought she were challenging _them_ to stay still and silent. Grimmjow had caught on early, and simply ignored her now, but Yammy still seemed to be a bit insulted, even if he didn't realize the fact.

She'd get the occasional sideways glance from Ulquiorra. But then again, she got occasional sideways glances from most of the guys. Apparently, it was safer to look at her than it was to look at Halibel.

The orange-haired girl sighed – internally, of course. Although there were semi-frequent antics amongst them, as the concept of being able to explore Las Noches as much as she wished, things were getting rather dull. Even though certain activities were always amusing, such as hide-and-seek with Wonderweiss and Lillinette (sometimes even Diroy and Ggio joined in), the Arrancar in Orihime was itching for something more physically exerting. And Sonido-ing fifty laps around the outside of the citadel didn't count. That was boring and easy and got sand in her boots. Now, if she were Sonido-ing _away_ from Las Noches, then that would be a different matter altogether, but unfortunately, she nor any other fraccion were allowed more than fifty meters away from the outside walls Las Noches without an Espada or permission from Aizen, or in her case, both. She'd heard of the Menos Forest, and it seemed really cool, but she couldn't go look for it because she couldn't leave Las Noches.

Fortunately, she was about to get her wish.

"Ulquiorra," Aizen started.

The pallid Espada acknowledged his superior with a nod. "Yes, Aizen-sama?"

Aizen lifted his tea cup, "How has our dear Orihime-chan's training been going?" he took a sip.

He maintained his emotionless expression. "She has much improved. I would even go as far as to say she could hold her own in a fair fight against most of those below Espada level."

Orihime straightened her already pin-straight posture in pride. Coming from Ulquiorra, that was indeed a compliment. Training. Now _that_ had been quite the interesting experience. Ulquiorra always had this odd attitude that made it so you couldn't tell that he was holding back as much as he was, even when she was so inexperienced that she was scared to hold a sword. He had nearly _killed_ her several times, his blade stopping millimeters from slicing her jugular or some other critical vein. Not only was it disquieting, but it was also dangerous. If she was startled and moved even the tiniest bit she would accidently cut herself and then die from her own clumsiness. _Again._ Eventually, she figured out that when he did that she should just not move and wait for him to back away. The first few times that had happened she had cringed, causing his features to shift in that extremely slight way they did to show his disdain. After that had happened a few times, she got over her fear of sharp objects and kept a straight face, which had, for the first time she'd ever seen, caused Ulquiorra to do a double take, eyebrows scrunching oh so slightly to show confusion and surprise. In response, she'd simply smiled. Apparently, she was one of the only people in Las Noches that could read the seemingly emotionless Espada's emotions. She assumed that the other that could was Aizen, and she doubted he got as much amusement out of being able to know what the stoic Espada was feeling as she did.

Aizen smiled, and she had to fight back a fearful shiver. "Excellent. I have an assignment for you two to do while you're waiting for Szayel to finish the preparations for the other one. It seems that although the invaders were repelled, we _did_ suffer some few minor causalities. To replenish our ranks, I want you two to go down into the Menos Forest and bring back any Adjuchas or Vasto Lorde back here," he looked at Orihime, still smiling, "Does that sound good to you, Orihime-chan."

This time she _did_ shiver, and she knew that everyone in the room with an able pair of eyes had seen it. She swiftly regained her composure and replied respectfully, "Yes it does, Aizen-sama."

"Good, good," he shifted his gaze back to Ulquiorra, "I would prefer you leave immediately."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Yes, Orihime had sand in her boots. She didn't like it, but it was worth it. She'd never been this far from Las Noches before, and she was starting to get giddy. "So, Ulqui-kun, where is-"

"Why can't you be like everyone else and address me as Ulquiorra-sama?" he interrupted almost… thoughtfully. It was a rather off-handed comment, but he probably assumed that she did it on purpose to annoy him.

"Oh. Okay then. So, Ulqui-sama, where exactly is the Menos Forest?" she inquired innocently.

He turned his head to look at her with what she knew was a questioning look, the way the muscles on the outside of his face were tensing. "We are standing on it, woman. The Menos Forest is underground."

Orihime's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh… that's so… that's so… COOL!" she suddenly exclaimed. "Ooo! What if out of nowhere, hundreds of Hollow ninjas popped out of sand and tried to eat us? Would you save me, Ulqui-sama?"

"No, I would carelessly allow them to defeat you. Although, like your old friends, you'd probably suddenly spawn some great new ability out of nowhere to save yourself," he dead-panned.

She recognized the sarcasm, but didn't address it. "Maybe I'd turn into a giant robot with laser beams and heat-seeking missiles!"

"I would not be surprised if that were your resurreccion."

She giggled. It was times like these she especially enjoyed, where she would simply let herself ramble and Ulquiorra would comment as if she were completely serious. It was fun.

Suddenly, Ulquiorra stopped walking and she very nearly ran into his back. "This is where we are going to descend."

"Wha-" he grabbed her arm briskly.

"Hold your breath, woman."

She did so as the sand began to swallow them. She came very, very close to panicking, but was somehow able to maintain her composure. After a few seconds of complete darkness and pure discomfort, they passed through the sand, and Orihime was _extremely_ surprised to see that there was nothing beneath her feet. She'd have free fallen if it weren't for Ulquiorra's grip on her arm, and even then, he wasn't stopping his descent at all, either.

Orihime landed with a yelp on top of a small, soft thing that made an 'Oof' sound, while Ulquiorra landed gently on his feet with cat-like grace.

"Hey! Nel's was standin' heres!" said the thing she'd landed on.

Quickly, Orihime stood to see that she had landed on a little Arrancar girl with short, messy, sea-green hair and a cartoonish skull-like mask fragment. "Oh no! I'm sooooooo sorry! I didn't see you there!" She apologized hastily.

Ulquiorra glared at the girl. "Nelliel Tu Oderschwank?" he asked.

The girl looked at him quizzically. "Huh?" Suddenly she gasped and pointed, "Oh my gwosh! You ish Ulquiowa-sama! You ish one of da Espada!"

Without warning, two forms leaped out of the shadows and tackled the green-haired girl. "HA! We found you at last, don'tcha know?" said the big one with the tiki-like mask-fragment.

Orihime jumped into the fray and unsheathed her sword, shouting, "Souten Kesshun!" the sword itself split to form the small, fairy-like creatures that made the large, triangle-shaped, orange shield. The two weird Arrancar leaped away at the sight.

"GACK!" the one with the mask shaped like an ant's head exclaimed comically.

The Fraccion put her hands on her hips. "What the heck are you thinking?" she scolded, "Attacking a small child like that?"

Nel tugged on her skirt. "Um, miss fraccion lady?" she started. "It's okay. Meh brothers and I were just pwaying 'eternal tag.' Da point of da game is ta catch the one dat's it and beat 'em up."

She gave the girl a curious look. "That sounds painful. Isn't there some other game you could be playing?"

"Nah, it's okay! Nel's a huge masochist!" Nel exclaimed cheerfully.

There was a silence.

"What in the world are you two teaching this girl?" Orihime asked the two older Arrancar, stunned.

Ulquiorra didn't give them a chance to reply. "Woman. Since we've found not only and ex-Espada, but her fraccion as well, our job is done."

Nel's eyes widened. "Wha? Ex-Espada? Where?" she said, looking around curiously.

The skinnier Arrancar with the ant-like fragment yelped. "You aren't seriously expecting her to go back there after all that, are you?"

Blankly, Ulquiorra gave him a steady gaze. "The woman and I are merely fulfilling our assignment," he turned, "You will either follow us back to Las Noches or we will use force."

After a few moments of tense silence, the Arrancar's shoulders slumped. "Fine."

Nel squealed and latched herself onto Orihime's leg. "Yay! Now miss fraccion lady and I are gonna be bestest friends forever!"

Orihime laughed. "Come on, you," she said playfully, detaching the hyper child from her leg and lifting her up on her shoulders. As Ulquiorra started walking back in the direct from which they came, Orihime scrunched her eyebrows. "Hey, Ulqui-sama, where're you going?"

He didn't stop. "There is a tunnel this way that surfaces in Szayel's lab."

"Then why didn't we just go that way before?"

He shifted his gaze to her, the slight expression on his one she was not familiar with, "You seemed eager to explore, woman. I assumed that the route we took would be the more amusing option of the two."

Orihime was slightly taken aback at that. Since when did he care? Oh well. It didn't change the fact that the trek had been, indeed, amusing.

"Woman," Ulquiorra started, "We cannot waste any more time. Hurry up or I will leave you behind."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"And who do we have here, Ulquiorra?" Aizen asked.

Orihime scanned the room. All of the Espada were present, and although most of them seemed to be rather bored, two of them were extremely on the edge about something. Szayel just seemed fidgety, which was abnormal for the proud scientist, while Nnoitra was sitting up straight and actually paying attention for once.

Ulquiorra stood before Aizen's throne, looking just as important as he always did. His head held high, but not arrogantly so, his posture pin straight, and his power practically radiating off of him in a way that would have probably made the old her light-headed. Nowadays, she wasn't nearly as affected by Ulquiorra's Reiatsu as she used to be, and she wasn't affected that much to begin with, seeing as he reigned it in most of the time. It wasn't that she was more resistant to his Reiatsu, it was just that she had gotten so used to it that it wasn't disquieting, rather, it was quite a comfortable presence to her. As his fraccion, she'd been around him enough that it felt… _wrong_ when she couldn't sense his Reiatsu.

"We have found three rogue Arrancar, as you can see. One of them I believe to be the long missing Nelliel Tu Oderschwank."

"NO FUCKING WAY!" came the enraged voice of Nnoitra Jiruga, "I KILLED THAT BITCH A HUNDRED YEARS AGO!" He hefted his Zanpakuto and leapt from his seat.

Concerned for the safety of the girl, Orihime remove Nel from her shoulders and held the young child in her arms protectively, knowing that Nnoitra wouldn't dare harm her in front of Aizen, even it was just to get to someone else. Unfortunately, Nel had other ideas.

She popped right out of her arms and clambered back onto Orihime's shoulders clumsily. "Wow, ish da Nnoitwa? Hi Nnoitwa!" she called.

Orihime cringed. Apparently, Pesche and Dondochakka knew where this was going, and threw themselves in front of Orihime, Zanpakuto drawn. "We cannot allow you to harm Mistress Nel again, Nnoitra Jiruga," Pesche said coolly.

The Quinta was livid, "WHY YOU LITTLE-"

"That's enough, Nnoitra," Aizen interrupted.

She looked to the speaker, and once more, shivered. He wasn't amused, and it was evident on his visage.

Nnoitra growled, but loyally returned to his seat, refusing to take his eyes off the small, green-clad girl.

Aizen examined Nel curiously before nodding. "Her predicament should be relatively easy to fix," he stated off-handedly before rising and stepping over to where the Hougyoku was stored. "Orihime-chan, if you will please set our returning resident down."

She nodded, setting Nel down.

He wave a hand over the pedestal, the multiple layers shifting to reveal the miniscule violet orb. Confidently, the traitor captain touched one finger to the sphere, releasing a bright flash of light that briefly engulfed the small Arrancar girl.

As the mist cleared, a rather curvy woman was revealed, a ram skull mask-fragment atop her head and somewhat torn green fabric just barely covering the necessary areas. She stood, looking around with calm, intelligent eyes, a sheathed Zanpakuto clutched in her hand.

After a moment of regaining her bearings, her gaze landed on Aizen. "Aizen-sama," she acknowledged with a steady tone, her voice still as child-like as it had been before.

The ex-Shinigami gave her a kind smile, "Welcome back, Nelliel Tu Oderschwank."

Just then, her Reiatsu became evident, and there was quite a bit of nervous murmuring amongst the lower-ranked Espada. Aizen obviously noticed this, based on what he said next. "Although you are still just barely Espada level, I assume you don't want to make enemies so early, therefore, I purpose you and your companions join Ulquiorra's fraccion," he turned his gaze to the stoic Espada, "What do you think, Ulquiorra?"

He only hesitated a moment before reluctantly replying, "That would be acceptable, Aizen-sama."

"Excellent."

Suddenly, Orihime found herself being tackled by the green-haired woman, her face awkwardly being suffocated by Nelliel's… assets. "YAY! Orithimay and I are going to be bestest friends ever!"

For a few moments, the suffocating hug continued, until Orihime was able to reach her arm out, signaling her distress.

"Nelliel. It would be counterproductive for you to kill my only other fraccion," Ulquiorra dead-panned.

Confused, Nel released the red-haired girl. "D – Don't do that…" Orihime managed to get out, "Ever… again…"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** So. Chapter four. Yay.

Anyways, I'd just like to say, in the seven days that this was my one and only story, it got more hits and more favs and story alerts than any of my other, much longer stories. I don't know if that's because it's ulquihime or because it's just that good. I realize it's a fairly un-explored concept, and with all the UlquiHime stories out there that practically all have the same theme and plot, this is rather refreshing for some of you. As Creatures of Myth: Hidden Enemies is coming to a close, this story had been turning in my head. It is logical to assume that once I finish the CoM I will switch my attention to this story as I work out the plot for Creatures of Myth: Sunlit Summons (I gotta come up with all new characters and incorporate new kinds of Youkai and come up with personalities for the Kami, and cement a few concepts I want to use… it's all very time-consuming).

I hope you enjoyed this very unexpected update. ;)


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I realized this AFTER I wrote the chapter. Grimmjow's fraccion should be dead. XD Let's just say they didn't die, they were just injured. Badly. And Orihime healed them up! Oh, and this chapter is absolute fluff. To the point of insanity, and irrelevancy.

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Emerald Teardrops

Chapter Five

.

Orihime took a careful step forward, checking cautiously around the corner before inching into the other hall. She fiddled with the little device on her wrist, making sure it was functioning properly.

Their group of goofballs (Including: Orihime, Charlotte, Wonderweiss, Diroy, and Lillinette) decided that gaining three new friends of a less than serious disposition called for a game of hide-and-seek. Orihime had gone with Nel and Lillinette to get Szayel to make three more Reiatsu concealing devices. It took a lot of persuading (threatening) to finally get him to make them, but the results were satisfactory. The devices looked like little steel manacles, clamping onto their wrists. Now, with the addition of Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka, the game was getting real big. And popular, as well, as it seemed that the one room besides personal quarters that was off-limits during the game was the room with the monitors for the cameras, it served as a viewing room for anyone interested. She knew that Ichimaru liked to watch them occasionally, and it seemed to be gathering momentum, as now some of Halibel's fraccion (sometimes Halibel herself) took to it, Apacci and Mila Rose betting on who would be found last. It was perhaps the _dumbest_ pastime in Las Noches, but then again, it wasn't like there was much to do here.

She listened closely. Charlotte was it, which was good for her, because he was very, very loud. When he finished counting, Aizen, who was on the other side of the citadel, would hear it. She stepped into the kitchen. The lights were off and it would be good to keep it that way. She made her way to a cupboard, and very carefully folded herself into the small space and shut the door.

"_Hey, I'm hiding here!"_ someone whispered. The cupboard extended along the length of the counter, so there was space length-wise for more than one person. Orihime looked, but it was so dark she couldn't tell who it was.

"Eh? Who's there?" she squeaked.

"_Lillinette!"_ the voice replied. Made sense. Out of all of them, only she, Lillinette, and Diroy would ever be able to fit in such a small spot. "_This is my hiding spot! Go find another!"_

Orihime exhaled, crestfallen. This was a pretty spot, too. "Okay…"

"READY OR NOT, HERE MY BEEEE-AUUTIFUL SELF COMES!"

Or not.

Lillinette sighed. "_Fine, you can hide here. Just BE QUIET!"_

She nodded. But even though Lillinette didn't hear her, she seemed to take her silence as an answer.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Many of the people in the room were surprised to see their latest fellow spectator. It had been quite the shock when Aizen himself had entered and pulled up a chair. Now that Nelliel had join the game, it was actually becoming a much looked-forward to event. Most of the Espada watched and placed bets on who would be found first or last, the only ones who didn't were Ulquiorra and Zommari. All fraccion crammed into that small room, which, after doing a little corridor re-arranging, Gin had figured out how to expand. There were now a bunch of folding chairs, most of them full. It was a general unspoken rule that Espada and Traitorous Trio got front row seats.

This round, as it was Charlotte who was it, the odds were rather even, as even Diroy was smarter than him.

By the time Chulhorne counted to one-twenty, Diroy had hidden himself beneath a cleared-off lab table in Szayel's lab (the Espada wasn't all too happy with that, but since there was nothing on the table, he let it slide), Wonderweiss had cleverly buried himself under a thin layer of sand out beneath the fake sky, Nelliel was hiding behind, Nelliel was in Aaroniero's tower (as long as she stayed out of his bedroom, it wasn't against the rules), and… Pesche and Dondochakka were both trying to hid behind Aizen's throne, clearly visible to anyone who entered the room. Orihime and Lilliette were, surprisingly, in the same spot. It was rather difficult to place any odds for them, because if one was found, then so would the other. They'd both be found at the same time. Oh well. Lillinette was more likely to make noise.

They all watched as Chulhorne pranced around Las Noches, eventually tripping over a lump in the sand. So Wonderweiss had been found first. Only one person had bet that Wonderweiss would be found first, and that was Grimmjow. Now, as indicated before the counting had been completed, for the next week Grimmjow now had access to the ice cream, the spray paint, and the water balloons.

The room groaned.

Wonderweiss entered the room silently, and walked up to Tousen. "Ooooo-aughu…" he said sadly. The taller man placed a comforting hand on the boy's head.

So next, surprisingly, went Nel. It was amusing as well. Just moments after Wonderweiss arrived at the camera room, Nel opened a random door, before proceeding to scream shrilly and randomly fire ceros into said room. Gin tried to switch a screen to view that room, but its camera was blocked by something… slimy. Nel immediately ran out of the building, and bonked heads with Chulhorne.

When Nelliel arrived in the camera room, she curled up in a ball beneath the control panel.

After that, Chulhorne decided to check out Szayel's lab. At first, everyone thought that he'd leave without finding Diroy, but then the unappealing fraccion leaned against the table that Diroy was beneath. Said table had wheels. So, the table went colliding with a table that was _not_ cleared off, causing everyone in the room to flinch at the sound of breaking glass. Szayel's face was twitching in annoyance. And Diroy was found.

The fraccion arrived, grumbling and muttering about 'that disgusting idiot's clumsiness,' and plopped down in a seat near his commanding Espada, his arms crossed.

Now, all that was left were the two pairs. Orihime and Lillinette, and Pesche and Dondochakka.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Orihime scooted further from Lillinette the moment they began to hear footsteps and humming. The door was opened and the lights turned on with flick of a switch.

"Hm… maybe I should get myself a snack before I continue on my _beee-autiful_ search!" A bit of rustling was heard above them. Good. All the snack items were in the upper cupboards. The lower ones they were in normally contained canned foods and empty Tupperware, along with the garbage bags and cleaning chemicals like Windex and Lysol.

"Ooo, lookie here! I didn't know we had Pocky!"

Orihime heard a quiet growl from Lillinette. That was _her_ Pocky.

Charlotte obviously took the Pocky. Lillinette seemed to be close to bursting out of her hiding spot and ripping that ugly idiot a new one.

Suddenly, another set of footsteps, these much more calm and rhythmic, entered the room, and Orihime's eyes widened. What was Ulquiorra doing here?

"Oh, hello, Ulquiorra-sama!" Charlotte greeted politely with his sing-song voice, "What're you doing here?"

"It seems that Grimmjow found the spray paint, for I have need of cleaning products."

Now she was panicking. Orihime felt around next to her, only to find that instead of being by the cans and Tupperware, she was beneath the sink, with the cleaning products.

The steady footsteps approached her, and the cupboard door opened, putting Orihime face-to-unexpressive face with the fourth Espada. A slight puzzled expression crossed his face. "Woman? What are you doing in the cupboard?"

Charlotte looked. "AH-HA!" he shouted, pointing at her, "You could not hide from my beauty forever, Orihime-chan! Once I finish eating this Pocky, I will go find the rest of you clever hiders!"

At that, Lillinette finally lost it. She jumped out of the cupboard, via a different door, and barreled into the muscular Fraccion. "THAT'S MY POCKY, YOU IGNORAMUS!" she shouted.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

A collected chorus of disappointed "Awww!"s rang through the room. Most had their bets one of those two.

But… if they were found, then that meant…

. . . . . . . . . . . .

"Move outta my way, Dondochakka!"

"No, I was here first, don'tcha know?"

. . . . . . . . . . .

The pair of nitwits had won. And only one person had bet on them being found last…

Aizen smiled. Seemed like he had won this time. They all really had been fools to doubt his superior mind on such things as predicting the outcome of a simple game. The blockheaded pair of Arrancar had chosen such an obvious place to hide that there was absolutely no way that Chulhorne would find them. "Gin," the ruler of the castle said smoothly, "Why don't you remind everyone what would happen if I came out the victor in this little bet?"

Ichimaru tilted his head, trying to remember. Suddenly, the grin fell off his face.

"Well?" Aizen prompted.

Everyone in the room waited in half-terror. This… could in no way be good. Gin pulled out a notebook, "'The condition tha' Aizen Sousuke-sama indicated would be implemented should the Fraccions Pesche and Dondochakka win the game is…" Everyone leaned in close, and Gin cleared his throat. Oh, this was a near impossible request. He doubted the two involved would be too happy about this. "Loly Aivirrne and Menoly Mallia shall not speak to him or be in the general vicinity of his person for a week."

This resulted in many relieved sighs, and two indignant gasps.

Nnoitra laughed and nudged Loly in the side. "You heard 'em, girls! Get out!"

They looked to the brown-haired Shinigami in shock, "B – But… Aizen-sama," Menoly stopped when Aizen held up a hand.

"Ah, ah. No speaking, remember?"

Menoly's lips closed in a tight line, and Loly seemed like she was about to scream.

Which said a lot about how much this was necessary.

Loly and Menoly left the room, downtrodden.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** Okay, a little short, but hopefully the most amusing yet. :D


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** This chapter may cause severe whiplash. Seriously. The mood is about to perform a one-eighty. Get used to it, because that happens a lot in my work. And to the person who pointed out the fact that Ulquiorra now has two of the most big-chested women in Bleach in his Fraccion, well, that was really the point. ;)

One more thing. I do not 'ship Szayel x Cirucci. This story will not 'ship Szayel x Cirucci, no matter how scandalous the rumors may get. All pairings, insinuated or otherwise, are: Ulquihime, AiGin (Because that's totally canon XD), NnoiNel, and Grimmjow x Someone. I have to hold myself back from pairing Ichigo x Tatsuki. This will the first fic I've written that didn't pair them…

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Emerald Teardrops

Chapter Six

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Nighttime in Las Noches wasn't all that different from that of the Living World. Even though the moon stayed stationary above the ivory sands, the sole source of light in the vast realm painted against a pitch sky, there were other forces at work that dictated time. Within the pale fortress, the illusionary sun rose and fell in accordance to the time of day, creating breath-taking sunrises and sunsets that no one had the time or the initiative to appreciate. And even then, each person had their own unique routine, an internal clock, telling them when the time to sleep was approaching. Thing seemed almost calm at those times, and not eerily so as it normally was, but rather a comfortable, family-like calm. But most of them knew better, as this feeling of comfort, of safety, could only lead to weakness, and weakness led to destruction.

Evening routines varied from being to being. Those like Nnoitra or Grimmjow would hole up in their bedrooms, keeping oddly to themselves and relaxing with magazine or comic book (cough-cough hentai cough-cough). Starrk would simply keep sleeping, but perhaps migrate to his bedroom instead of the many random places where he bummed around. The Traitorous Trio each had their own nighttime routines, although both Ichimaru's and Aizen's were occasionally interrupted by another's company, either each other's or someone else's. Aizen normally curl up in bed with a book, Ichimaru would retreat to his bedroom to plot more elaborate pranks, and Tousen… well, nobody knew exactly what he did. Probably something really dumb or boring. Szayel would triple check all of his experiments before going to bed.

Orihime would normally lay on her bed and stare out the window at the moon, as old habits die hard. That evening, though, brought a change of routine, and this change would last for a few weeks. She now shared her bedroom with Nelliel until everyone got used to having the ex-Espada around again. In theory, she wouldn't mind, but one must realize how much that woman talked. Orihime supposed it was a taste of her own medicine, as she knew that she was quite the talker, as well. Ulquiorra had indicated as much to her, but never once did he tell her to actually stop talking, as he did with Nel. Often.

"Then Tesla was saying how he saw Szayel talking with Cirucci, and it was odd, because she seemed to be flirting with him…" Nelliel rambled on. Orihime would let her keep talking, but at her current volume Orihime didn't stand a chance of falling asleep.

"Nel-san, can you please wrap up what you're saying? I'm sleepy," The orange-haired teen requested.

"Oh!" Nel exclaimed, "Oh, I'm sorry, 'Hime-chan! I'm done talking, seriously! I'll go to bed now."

"Thank you," Orihime breathed, plopping down onto the pillow and staring up at the moon through the tall window.

Even though they were a world away, she wondered if her friends were looking at a similar moon.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Arisawa Tatsuki pulled on a loose yellow pajama top, the relatively thin fabric draping over her muscled form. She slipped into bed and switched off the light, retracting her arm beneath the comforter. With a sigh, she gazed blankly at the ceiling.

A buzzing sound came from her nightstand. She reached over and grasped her cell phone. The screen indicated a new text message from Ichigo. Scowling, Tatsuki dropped the phone after silencing it. She was still mad at him. At them. Those _morons_. She wasn't going to forgive them. It was _his_ fault that Orihime had gotten in this mess, and therefore it was _his_ responsibility to get her back. A responsibility which he had utterly failed at. She refused to talk to him. To them. No, not them. Just him. It wasn't Chad or Uryu's fault. It was Ichigo's fault, and his alone.

She covered her eyes with the palms of her hands, letting out an exasperated sigh. Who the hell was she trying to kid? This all happened because she wasn't strong enough. She wasn't strong enough to defend even herself when it came to these Arrancar things. It was ironic, as she, the second strongest woman in Japan, couldn't help but feel so helplessly weak. If only she'd powers like Ichigo, like Chad, or even like Uryu, then she would've been able to be there for her best friend. She should've been there…

But she was weak. Pathetically so.

Her eyelids were heavy, weighed down by exhaustion and oncoming tears.

She looked out the window, at the lovely waxing crescent moon, and hoped that wherever Orihime was in Hueco Mundo, she'd forgive her.

. . . . . . . . .

After he sent the text message, Ichigo waited for his friend's reply. When over ten minutes later there was still no answer, he set the phone down on his desk and plopped down on the bed, his arms crossed behind his head.

He looked out the window and stared blankly out at the moon. It's white glow reminded him of her Zanpakuto.

Tatsuki had every right to be angry at him. He deserved her rage. He deserved it a thousand times over. He deserved her hatred. Especially, he deserved her silence, for he not only failed to save Inoue, but he'd lost the person who had saved him, a person he had sworn to protect.

. . . . . . . . .

They had lost the battle. So, inevitably, lives were lost, or they wouldn't have retreated. The battle had become hopeless long before the captains would've arrived. He and Ishida had barely escaped from the eighth Espada, Szayel Aporro Granz, and while they had been badly injured, their injuries would heal.

The same could not be said for Kuchiki Rukia.

Aaroniero Aruruerie, the novena Espada, had succeeded in defeating the distraught Shinigami, played her guilt, and slayed her after she'd refused to kill her friends.

The funeral had been somewhat grand. Of course, she was a Kuchiki. Many prominent people had attended, including all the captains except Kurotsuchi, and most of the lieutenants. Kuchiki Byakuya, as dictated by tradition, was required to say a few words. While the man's expression had remained completely stoic as always, towards the end of his speech, a single tear had rolled down his cheek.

The man had lost everything, despite it all. Everything, everyone he loved.

Ever since Renji had found her, a cold numbness had fallen over him. It wasn't until after the funeral, late into the evening after everyone else had left, that the numbness finally dissipated. He stood before the freshly covered grave, the polished headstone reflecting the velvet glow of the moon, and stared at the name. Kuchiki Rukia. Beloved Sister and Friend.

A barrier was broke, and tears began to flow freely from his eyes as he fell to his knees. It seemed so insufficient. She was so much more than just that. She was the reason that caused Kurosaki Ichigo to change Soul Society forever. She was a brilliant girl, with many opportunities laid out before her. Kuchiki Rukia was his entire reason for being so strong…

He never told her how much he truly cared for her. How much he would sacrifice to have her back.

And now he never would tell her.

Sobs escaped his throat unbound.

. . . . . .

He had decided to visit his sister's grave once more before turning in for the night, just so he could grieve without the critical eyes of his peers and betters watching him.

What Kuchiki Byakuya hadn't expected to find was his lieutenant, soundly asleep on Rukia's grave, with tear stained cheeks.

The sight tugged at his heartstrings. He'd known how much Abarai cared for his sister, for unlike his lieutenant, Byakuya was not an idiot.

With a sigh, the melancholy noble tore his eyes from to grave to the sky, where the bright moon lit the sky, and found himself instead thinking of his wife.

_I'm sorry, Hisana. I've failed you yet again._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Orihime suddenly got the chills. It was as if each and every one of her friends where indeed looking up at that moon. It should've been a comforting thought, but it wasn't. It was oddly saddening.

Whatever it was, it was probably just her nerves. All was fine. Just peachy. It had to be, because if it wasn't, she wasn't sure she'd be able to live with herself.

Snuggling down into the blankets, Orihime swiftly fell into a mercifully dreamless sleep.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** I didn't think killing Chad would cause the same reaction from you guys, so I switched to Rukia at the last minute.

Okay, as I was writing this, I was getting a ridiculously strong IchiTats vibe. Especially from Tatsuki. THEY BOTH HAVE A HERO-COMPLEX! Ugh! I may actually pair them, but if I do, I'll do it in the eventual epilogue so subtly you probably won't realize it.


End file.
